"This is a difficult environment, a tough situation, and we will work our way painstakingly through that until we've completed our scene investigation.

"You can't rush victim identification and you also can't rush technical investigation, so the time that it will take will be as long as it needs to take.

"I would anticipate on previous experience that it will take a few days but hopefully we can wrap it up quickly, but if we need to take a few more days, so be it."

ATSB spokesman Doug Drummond says investigators have a lot of information to look through to work out how the crash happened.

"We'll be examining the site and aircraft wreckage and radar and radio recordings, pilot records and aircraft maintenance records, witness and weather information," he said.

"Now we do have a lot to look at and it'll take us a while here - a few days here on site.

"We expect a final report to be released in the next nine to 12 months."

Tributes

On board were pilot Desmond Porter, 68, and his wife Cath Porter, 61, from Tingalpa in Brisbane's east; John Dawson, 63, and his wife Carol Dawson, 63, who were also from Tingalpa; and Les D'evlin, 75, and his wife Janice D'evlin, 61, who were from Manly West.

A condolence message to the families of the victims has been left outside the Imbil fire station and resident Graeme Rummler added a bunch of flowers today.

"Just reading that now it makes me feel sad and starting to break up a little bit," he said.

"I really feel sorry for everybody that's been involved and their families and their friends."